The Destiny of a Kindhearted Maou
by G3rMan
Summary: In the aftermath of a terrible internal conflict, devil society struggled to rebuild. Superstitious suspicions began to breed among the High-class, and the threat of assassination was high. To protect the son of a powerful devil, the boy was sent to the human world to live in safety. What waited was a life of monotonous hell. Would he accept a family he couldn't even remember?
1. An Unexpected Welcome

The Destiny of a Kindhearted Maou

Chapter 1

An Unexpected Welcome

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DxD.**

"Speaking"

"_Whisper"_

_'Thinking'_

_Writing/Text_

"**Inner-Speaking"**

Sorry everyone, I am once again on my laptop as I stay with a friend. I am between houses at the moment, going from a dorm to an apartment. Whenever I am in a transition period like this, I always like to try different things and keep it interesting. That was how _Rise of Darkness_ was written, on a train no less.

I haven't forgotten about my other stories, but I have been busy with school. With this semester over, it means I am now going to in my fifth semester, a Junior! I am a double major and I am working part-time at my school, so I am keeping busy. During my off time, I have been re-watching the first season of Highschool DxD and enjoying the new second season, as well as reading the light novel.

That is where this new project is coming from. It seemed like a simple concept that had alluded me for some time; where can I write a proper harem without it breaking all the rules of the universe? Well, Highschool DxD's Issei character shows us how it is done, so why not have Naruto follow in his footsteps? It lets me tell a new story that is exciting, and it also gives me the opportunity to try out new mechanics in character creation and depth.

Hope you enjoy the prologue chapter of "The Destiny of a Kindhearted Maou"

000

_Not long ago, a great schism caused the devil society of the Underworld to become unbalanced. Families and individual devils chose sides in what was to be the final answer of what destiny the denizens of the Underworld would follow. It was a contained conflict, so the great Three-Faction Alliance was kept in the dark of the civil war that wracked the devil's territory._

_At first, it was a subtle struggle for power that was ignored by the four Maou, leaders of devil society. Many of those who were part of the new faction were respected as some of the most profound leaders of their generation. More young devils flocked to hear what they had to say in their nonviolent protests. The reigning families had confidence that, after coming out of a war with the dreaded Khaos Brigade, the danger of such a similar conflict would be enough to stave off war._

_They were wrong._

_When war finally did erupt, it was quick and bloody. Like sleeper agents, the once peaceful protestors attacked their rivals, their friends, their families in the name of their cause; the real return of the original Maou. How far had devil society fallen since their original leaders had left them? How long would the current leaders monopolize their hold over the Underworld? A desire to return to the old ways, to the days of devil dominance was what the younger generation spoke out for._

_Despite their fervor, the new faction of terrorists were defeated by the current Maou. It came at a terrible price as families were broken or became extinct. Some of the most trusted devils had betrayed the rest, and so devil society fell into superstition and misplaced hatred._

_One newborn in a particularly difficult position was shuttled off to the safer, ignorant realm of humans to live and grow. He lost his parents in the war, and their political rivals sought to deliver a final blow by finishing him off during the lasting turmoil of reconstruction. The acting head of the boy's clan gave the order for him to go abroad, with no knowledge of his past, where he might find solace._

_In a place where no one knew his name, nor cared about kind of blood ran through his veins. That is where he grew up, and that was the prison he found himself trapped in. Forever on the edge of society, unable to make a link with the people who looked and talked like him, but were not him. What made him different? Why was he so restless?_

_Those were the questions he most wanted an answer for._

_Finally, upon reaching the age of 17, the gears of the society he was exiled from began to turn normally again. Trouble from the previous war continued to brew, and his family needed his help. It was time for the boy to return to the life he was never given the chance to live. But would he accept that kind of answer?_

000

_Kuoh Academy_

000

It was a sunny day in modern day Japan. The spring blossoms littered the street as children of all ages headed to school. A few cars drove the streets, but a day like that was something more suited for open air travel; bicycles clicked along the pavement as people got out to enjoy the weather.

As was to be expected, packs of girls walked along the street to gossip about their nights. There wasn't anything of much interest considering how boring their town was, but they were all smiles. The boys stereotypically dragged their feet in smaller groups; lecherous smiles and haughty smirks meant tall tales were being told amongst friends. Neither gender had much of anything special to report, but that just meant it was like a normal day.

One student in particular stood out from the normalcy as he trudged along, school bag slung over his shoulder. His superior height made him feel like a senpai, but some might have argued those sad eyes resembled a lonely child. Indeed, whoever the blonde was he wore a face of dejection as he walked to school alone. It seemed to be a regular morning for him as he made no attempt to look for friendly faces, no indignant shout of a man left behind.

This was his life for what seemed like forever. What a slump for a high school student to fall into. Truly, this was the worst.

What he didn't realize was that more than one pair of eyes had been watching him. It wasn't just that day, but for years he had been followed by concerned guardians. So far into his slump, he was unable to pick up on any of the signals that someone out there had acknowledged his existence.

Today was a special day. The day one of those servants had been waiting so long for; the ban of silence was finally being lifted. It was almost time for first contact.

After school, Naruto would be in for a surprise.

000

Another day of hell, Naruto thought as he walked through the front gate of his academy.

Kuoh academy, a well known center of academia that was once an all girls school. Over twenty years ago, it was converted to a co-ed academy with a focus on breeding unique talent among the high school students of the area. It was an honor to be able to attend, at least from what he had heard, but he didn't buy into it that much.

The truth was that if you weren't special, you wouldn't survive in any social circle.

Some might say 'special' is a subjective term, but when education became involved, there was always some way to quantify or calculate it. If it wasn't the teachers breathing down the student's neck with a special topics class, it was the student body itself with clubs and other meetings that only catered to those of certain tastes.

Simply put, if you didn't assimilate into some sort of role the school offered, your life a Kuoh was miserable.

That was the life Naruto had been living with for what would now be his third and final year at the academy. It wasn't just school though; he had been living in that shell of a life for as long as he could remember. An apartment he didn't pay for, a cell phone he didn't remember buying, clothing he couldn't afford. His entire life felt like it was on a track he didn't make, and it bothered him.

It wasn't like Naruto didn't try to fit in though. Many times, he took an active approach and joined in club and school activities like festivals and fundraisers. Every relationship he tried to build on just seemed to slip away into nothingness, like his presence faded in and out. If he believed in such things, he would be inclined to call it a curse.

Even worse, the only club he had any sort of interest in was just a rumor, long since abandoned before he got there. The Occult Research club was infamous for two things; the attractive females that led it and the perverted men who followed them. There didn't seem to be any explanation why it wasn't around anymore, but Naruto assumed that after the original senpais graduated, there was no driving force to recruit new members.

It was hard for him to put his finger on why he was so interested in myths and superstition. Maybe it fed back into his curse theory, but thinking of a life with demons and angels made everything a lot more interesting. A fool's dream, but that was alright with him.

_'I think I've wallowed in pity enough for one morning.'_ There was no point in rehashing the same points over and over.

Whether he liked it or not, his weird life wasn't changing for the better any time soon.

Naruto entered into the school with the last dregs of students who had fallen behind or came late. Class would start soon, but it wasn't anything particularly important. Despite that, and the fact Naruto didn't have much talent, he still tried to improve himself. He didn't make trouble for the school either since he just wasn't that kind of person.

–Which was why he looked up at the brunette on the second floor walkway and wondered for what felt like the hundredth time why she was staring at him with such an intense gaze. Arms crossed, she looked particularly intimidating with her second in command bowing at her side. The two girls seemed to favor that spot, as that was the one place he saw them every day.

Student Council president Verana Bael. Odd that a foreigner would take such an active interest in student politics, but from what Naruto heard, she was a natural at keeping order. He had never questioned her ability though; he just wanted to know what made her glare at him every morning. No words had been exchanged between them before, not even hallway greetings.

He knew not what class she was from or what kind of person she was. All he knew for sure was that she was considered an idol by the female population and that the men were either too intimidated to go near her, or pined for her punishing slap. That kind of reputation was all the more reason Naruto had no desire to get to know her, despite however attractive or interesting she might be.

It had been a long lesson, but he knew interesting meant trouble.

000

"Here you are, Fuka-sensei."

Naruto handed a piece of paper to his teacher as the other students began to fall out of the classroom. The day was winding down and the blonde had finished his work for the day.

The red headed teacher accepted the homework with a seductive smile. Without a glance, it was stacked on her desk with the rest of the day's work.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. You know I always appreciate your hard work." She said sweetly, with emphasis on the ending.

Unable to properly respond to his teacher, Naruto bowed and left as always. It wasn't that he found her unattractive, it was just that that was the way Fuka spoke to all of her students. On the first day of class, she refused to offer her last name and made everyone swear to use her given name, otherwise she wouldn't even look your way if you tried to get her attention.

Even if it was a bit awkward, he appreciated the fact that she at least remembered who he was. Leaving the classroom, he followed the crowd as the front doors of the school opened for the end of class. Everyone began to file out in the same way they arrived; surrounded by friends, gossiping about the day's activities.

Naruto's mind was already elsewhere as he headed out into the sun's glare. The rays of light were enough to make him cover his eyes. It was a particularly harsh sunset, he supposed.

The glare was so intense he didn't see the student council president waiting at the school gate for him. Her long brown hair fanned out behind her with two sharp bangs framing her face. That seemed to offer better protection from the light as she saw him clearly, or better yet perhaps she had been waiting for him.

"Stop right there."

Shocked that he had actually been addressed, Naruto did just that. He was now right in front of her, and he lowered his arm so that they could properly greet. She was slightly shorter than him, but all the same he gave a slight bow with his head.

"Yes, is there something I can do for you?"

For a moment, the president and her subordinate looked him over. Other than a bent and loosened collar, his uniform shouldn't have had any problems. The collar was just a little too uncomfortable for him, and it wasn't like his class rep paid any attention to make note of it before.

But that wasn't what she was looking at. Her dark eyes seemed to stare into his soul, testing him. What was it she wanted?

"Naruto Uzumaki..is that your real name?" Quite the accusation, president.

"Um, yes?" It had been his name for as long as he could remember, at least.

To be fair, without a family to reinforce the fact it was his name, it could have been easy for him to call himself something else. Sometimes he wondered if anyone other than himself even really paid attention to his personal information. Fuka-sensei was an exception; she was his homeroom teacher who took role call, so it wouldn't make much sense if she didn't at least try to memorize his name.

It was silent for a long pause before Naruto tried to speak up.

"Listen, if you don't need any-"

"I suppose you really don't know anything right now, do you?" She said with a slight condescending tone.

It was as if she was disappointed by the fact. The entire situation was something he didn't really understand, mostly because of her weird attitude.

"Excuse me?" What kind of a statement was that to make to another human being?

This girl really was weird.

"Kaichou, you know we aren't supposed to speak about that." The vice president whispered in her ear.

Known as Verana's shadow, the girl had long black hair that covered one eye. It gave her a mysterious appearance, though she seemed quite upfront about whatever rule the president was breaking. They made an interesting pair, to say the least.

"Well, it isn't my place to go against the law. Have fun figuring it out, low-class kun." With a quick wave, she walked past Naruto back toward the school, her shadow close behind.

"What the hell was that about?" Naruto didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like it.

With the sun still beating down on him, it was time to head back home. Without any club activities to attend, the only thing he had to do was go home and exercise. If it wasn't for that training regimen he made up a long time ago, he might have gone insane by then.

000

_Naruto's Apartment_

000

As soon as he got home, Naruto set his schoolbag down on the nearby counter and headed into the large family room. Since he rarely ever received company, the space had been left largely alone without any large furniture like couches or chairs to get in his way.

Since he was known to build up sweat profusely during the sessions, he immediately shed his uniform in favor of light sweats and a muscle shirt. The combination of fast sets of exercise interspersed with meditation meant he had a balanced and healthy body. He sure wasn't trying to win any contests; if he had to be honest, it was fun for him and he knew it was rewarding.

After some time working out, something on his dinner table came to life.

Naruto was so focused on his daily routine that he failed to notice the vibrating phone on his table. It wasn't a situation he was often in; someone calling him on his cell. In fact, he could probably recall the amount of people that knew his number on one hand.

The screen popped up with an unknown number and a region code of '666'. Ominous, to be sure. It must have continued for another five minutes before whoever was calling gave up.

Thirty minutes later, Naruto was on his third set of pushups when a knock on the door startled him. At that point, he had shed the shirt he was wearing and his chest was exposed to the cool air. With no time to prepare for his unexpected visitor, he quickly grabbed his bath towel and wrapped it around his neck to dry the sweat.

"I'm coming!" He shouted, irritated that he was being interrupted.

There was a side of him that excited though. Who could it be at such a late hour? As he walked past the kitchen, he noticed the phone's screen lit up with an unfamiliar message. Missed calls? How many?

As he flipped through the pages of calls, a sinking feeling took hold of his stomach. The knocking on the door returned, that time louder. Was this the same person leaving him the calls? How did they even get a hold of his number or know where lived?

Suddenly, the previous excitement was replaced with trepidation. Would it be better to ignore this stalker? Could he even call them that?

No, it was too late for that plan. They already knew he was there from when he called out to the door. Looks like he had no choice.

Naruto set the phone down and approached the door. Careful to not make a sound, he tried to look through the door's eyeglass to see who was there. Odd, it looked like the person had left.

Must have gotten tired of waiting. He considered going back to his workout, but if it had really been something important, he would regret not trying to get into contact with the person.

So, he opened the door to try and look around the corner. When he tried to open it though, he was welcomed by a tall figure directly on the other side. The height difference was so that his eyes first saw a healthy dose of skin from the person's chest where a slit in their dress was.

For some reason to accurately measure her height, Naruto's eyes gravitated down to her black heels and up to her pale thighs, all on display. It looked like she had just come from a rich social event with such a revealing outfit, but there was the off chance she just liked looking like a queen. The russet red hair that reached her ankles went with her predominantly dark blue dress quite well.

When their eyes finally met, he saw that her hair was still very long in the front too. Two tendrils split off beneath her neck and framed her revealed chest and a tuft of hair covered her right emerald eye.

Despite her ritzy appearance, she was quite intimidating from a physical sense as well. Her body had a certain amount of definition and he could tell she took care of herself well. If she was a day over twenty, he doubted anyone noticed. That said, her body was quite obviously matured.

This drastic difference in appearance made it difficult for Naruto to form any kind of greeting. Not only was her odd appearance off putting in the normal sense, but it made it difficult for him to put on a proper honorific. Was she a simple neighbor that was finally fed up with his music?

Or was she part of some well known business organization here to try and get an explanation of where he came up with the money to buy out the apartment (which he did not have the answer to, either)?

As it turned out, she made the relationship clear from the start. Not that it made it any easier for him to understand what was going on.

"Naruto-sama, it is my pleasure to be the first devil to greet you since your sudden leave." With grace, she bowed her head low.

Naruto was frozen in time, unable to respond. The woman noticed his pose as she rose from greeting, but didn't seem particularly surprised. In fact, she seemed quite happy to see him.

"E-excuse me..did you say?" He thought for sure he heard her say, 'devil'.

That couldn't be right, right? A slip of the tongue.

"Yes?" She seemed to enjoy his confusion a bit too much.

"Did you say, that you were a devil?" With that repeated, he expected her to wave her hand dismissively and say 'Of course not!' and get to the real reason why she was there.

Instead, she nodded in affirmation with a big grin.

"Why yes, I did say 'devil'. I suppose an explanation is in order." Her eyes seemed to scan the inside of the apartment and Naruto took the the hint by moving aside.

"Come in."

"Thank you. I assure you, there is a good reason for me being here."

She said that as she took in her new surroundings with curiosity. It seemed she was very interested in the setting he had been living in. Considering the way she addressed him, it was almost like she was supposed to be his long lost servant or something.

Now that was not a funny joke. This was clearly a very confused guest that he had to help along.

Once they arrived in the living room, Naruto quickly arranged two chairs across from one another so they could sit and talk. It wasn't long before she emerged from his bedroom with a face that wasn't particularly chipper.

"Naruto-sama, this place is quite small for someone of your stature. Are you sure you are comfortable here?" Was this lady serious?

For a single student living without a paycheck, this was quite a gracious home to live in. At least, that was the impression he got from most kids who lived with their parents still.

"I can't complain, um..can I ask what your name is?" A moment of weakness flashed across her visage before she smiled again.

"My apologies, it appears my excitement got ahead of me. I am Mei Gremory, a servant of the great house of Gremory." Again, she bowed her head low and made Naruto feel uncomfortable.

How was he supposed to react to a woman clearly older than him bowing low like that? It was clear she had some sort of impression of who he was, but was it right? He was just a normal kid.

"You know, you don't have to bow. I'm no prince or anything." Naruto chuckled, scratching his head. It was an attempt to break the growing tension. "Please, sit."

Mei didn't seem to be amused by his joke, but she took the invitation regardless. Like a princess, she folded her hands neatly in her lap and sat perfectly straight in the chair. It seemed as though she was waiting to be addressed before answering.

"So Mei-san, is it OK if I call you that?" He still had no idea who she was or what kind of status she had. A little guidance would help.

"It would be an honor, Naruto-sama."

_'There she goes with the -sama thing again. Well, I can't really stop her from doing it.'_ If she was comfortable with that, he wouldn't argue.

"What are you doing here, exactly? And who are the Gremory family? I'm sorry, but I don't have any association with local or foreign businesses." After saying that, Naruto noticed a pained look on her face.

It almost seemed like he slapped her due to his ignorance. Was it really that bad he didn't know?

"My lord, I am afraid you have been handed a great injustice." Mei bowed her head again, her voice dangerous. "Due to events out of your control, you have been separated from your family. It was my duty to come and retrieve you when the Vow of Silence was broken, so here I am."

Separated from his family? Vow of silence? Naruto didn't understand. Sure, he came up with some outlandish theories about his past that he couldn't seem to remember, but it was mostly a joke.

The way she was talking, she made it sound like he was actually someone important. Like a drama, he was separated from his family from birth. What kind of crap was that?

"I'm sorry but, what do you mean?" It just didn't make any sense.

"It would be difficult for me to explain everything in detail..." She bit her lip, clearly it was uncomfortable topic for her. "But suffice to say that I am here to inform you of some important information and escort you to my masters."

She has a master? Is this feudal Japan?

In an attempt to get more information, he figured it best to humor her. Otherwise they might dance around he topic all night.

"So what is this information?" Perhaps a message from his late parents telling him how much they loved him, or not.

That would be too cliché.

"It is as I said before: You are a devil of the Gremory clan, and I am your servant here to guide you back home."

What the?! You didn't say any of that before! Her neutral features meant she wasn't lying either.

"A devil? How does that make any sense?" They don't exist in anything but fairy tales.

"You were sent away to the human world to live a normal, safe life. It was a difficult decision, but without your parents to care for you in the middle of a war, it was one of the few options the Gremory head had left. Please forgive her and I for putting you in this situation."

With that, Mei got up from her seat and proceeded to kneel before him in the deepest bow imaginable. Before she could get far, Naruto grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her up.

_'Don't fuck with me! What the hell is really going on here?!'_

"I don't know if you are listening to yourself, but you sound like a crazy person. Devils and dead parents I don't know anything about. How am I supposed to understand any of this?" A bit of anger slipped into his tone and it was clear his grip was tightening on her arm.

"Naruto-sama.." Mei was at a loss for words.

"And stop calling me that. I am nothing, I am a nobody. No one here even knows my name, so why the hell do you care so much about who I am? This is the first time I've seen you before, so don't act so familiar. It's annoying."

His bare chest was heaving with how loud and fast he screamed those words. All of that frustration was bubbling up inside of him and trying to escape. Everyday the same monotony, waiting for it to end with some form of answer to his burning questions. Who am I? Where am I from? Why don't people look at me?

Now that he was getting those answers, they didn't make any sense. If he really was a devil that had been living in the human realm since as long as he could remember, how the hell was he supposed to accept a devil's reality?

They looked and acted exactly like humans. The entire idea was ludicrous.

Mei wasn't afraid of his outburst and handled it quite well. Carefully, she got up from her knees and removed Naruto's trembling hand from her arm. His grip didn't even leave a red mark, she was resilient.

At least she was taking him seriously. No more smiles or awkward bows; her face was indifferent. Perhaps whatever charade she had been putting on was over, now that she realized he wasn't an idiot.

"Very well then. I see you have been in this realm for too long to remember where you are from. Please, allow me to show you something."

Naruto had largely calmed himself since the outburst and watched her carefully. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, a pair of black wings appeared from her back. That was too quick for her to put on, they literally seemed to pop into existence.

They looked like real bat wings too. Is that really what devil wings looked like? He expected something more..red.

"I know it is hard to believe after accepting the normalcy of this realm, but I can show you much more if you would allow me. My duty is to return you to the Gremory household, but I would like to do so because you want to return, not because of my orders." He really wanted to know the reason why Mei cared about his opinion so much.

If she was really speaking the truth that she was a devil, then she could probably take him by force. What was stopping her?

"Excuse me." He said, fed up with the conversation.

Naruto headed into his bedroom and began to change into real clothes. He was going out to think about what the hell was going on. The woman had some interesting points, but she was avoiding a lot of details that would have helped him decide whether she was being honest or not.

The last thing he wanted to do was dismiss her if she really was telling the truth. At the same time, it was probably just a big hoax that he was playing right into.

Once he came back out, he noticed Mei's wings from the backside looked just as real from the front. She turned to face him and waited for his answer.

"I'm going out to think. Sorry, but we will have to continue this another time." The woman didn't seem too particularly pleased with that.

"Naruto-sama, please don't run away. The head of the household wishes you to come back as soon as possible, so please-" Before she could finish, Naruto was already preparing to walk out the door.

"Sorry, but would you show yourself out?" And with that, he shut the door.

Leaving her like that felt extremely rude, but he didn't want to get into another argument. From what he could tell, she wasn't going to be the one to give him the direct answers anyway. If he wanted to really know what was going on, he would have to head back to the Gremory family, whoever they were.

But, he didn't know if that was such a good idea. So he decided to go take a walk and think about it, as he liked to do. If he was such an important person, Mei could afford to let him do that much, right?

000

Out on the streets was where Naruto could think properly. Moving his legs gave him a necessary escape from the stresses of life. It also helped him think by keeping his body active. Whether he intended it to or not, using exercise as a stress reliever meant that any kind of kinesthetics helped ease his mind.

Behind him, the apartment light in his window dimmed, meaning Mei had taken her leave. How polite of her to take the liberty of shutting off all the electronics. It was almost as if she really was his servant.

Nonsense.

The night had made things chilly so Naruto had on dark jacket with a high collar. Like an animal, he tucked his chin in to try and avoid the harsh wind. It was going to make it difficult to think about his situation if he was constantly shaking.

_'The park is generally pretty peaceful at this hour. I'll head there.'_ His mind made up, Naruto took a left at a desolate intersection and made his way toward the town center.

What kind of life would he lead if he chose to go with Mei? It would probably be tough. Presumably the culture difference was enough to be palpable. He would have to learn how to act proper and dignified, and that didn't sound like something easy.

On the other hand, it might finally break him free of the monotony that was his life. For as long as he could remember, he never really had fun. This sounded exciting, it sounded fresh. That didn't change the fact it was still pretty dangerous and most likely not real.

It was a common occurrence for him to be indecisive. It was just part of his nature to question and question more. That attitude had protected him from many would-be fakes or troublesome situations.

Huh, that was odd. It sounded like there was actually something happening in the park, at that late hour. Sort of sounded like people talking, but Naruto couldn't be sure.

As he got closer, the sounds became clearer. It was indeed a group of people talking, but it didn't sound like a friendly outing.

"..Not everyday we find one of your kind out of Kyoto."

"Mind if we play together, Kyuubi-chan?"

Sounded like a bunch of roleplay freaks. He still wasn't in the park so he couldn't get a good look at what was going on, but those two guys didn't sound right in the head.

The response to their cat calls was a lot more aggressive than Naruto was expecting.

"If you want to die, then come on. I won't hold back." A woman's voice, though she sounded very dangerous just now.

At the entrance of the park, Naruto peeked around the corner. No one else was around, so it looked like only he was going to be a witness to what was going on.

There, by the water fountain; three people had surrounded what looked to be a young woman. What was that stuff on her back? It looked like she was cosplaying with those tails flying around behind her.

_'Just like that guy said, nine tails.'_ They were a deep red color and completely unexpected.

She didn't look particularly pleased with the three guys standing around her. At the same time, it didn't look like she was too concerned. Perhaps she was used to beating down creeps like them?

It was none of his business what was going on, so Naruto thought about leaving. He didn't think she needed any help and the woman might get uncomfortable if he started a fight. For all he knew, they were making some sort of fan film!

Careful to not cause attention, Naruto began to walk off past the park. The riverside was always a great second choice for quiet time. He might have made it too if he didn't stop to check on those voices.

Rather than keep walking on the sidewalk, Naruto hit an invisible force field of some sort. He rubbed his nose in an attempt to stop the pain and tried to find the source of what was blocking him. A shimmer of light represented the wall and a nearby hieroglyphic seemed to be powering it. What were those symbols on the dark colored shape?

The crackle of fire made Naruto's ears lock on to the park again. Orange and red lights were taking over the sky and it didn't seem like something a student film project could have. Without any choice, he doubled back to the entrance to realize he was dealing with a lot more than just simple cosplay.

That nine tailed fox woman was gone and in her place there was a towering beast that somewhat resembled the old legends. Flying around it were the three men, now complete with black wings that looked suspiciously like Mei's. Did that make them devils too? Was he just proven wrong in the worst way possible?

From the fox's mouth, white hot fireballs launched forward in an attempt to burn through the fliers. The heat was strong enough to be felt all the way over by Naruto; fox fire, the myths were true about its power. Unfortunately, the mobility those wings afforded her opponents made it difficult for her to hit any of them and they easily dodged the attack.

"Come on now. You'll have to do better than that!" One of them shouted, conjuring up a fireball in his hand.

Like a toy, he threw the destructive weapon like it was nothing. Before it could reach delicate fur, one of the powerful tails whacked it out of existence. It looked like the fox's defense was no pushover either.

A defiant roar echoed from the crimson fox as she prepared another wave of fire. The devils put their hands up and created those strange hieroglyphics again to block the attack.

Naruto watched in silent awe as the two powers met in a fiery mess. The white flames made a heavy sound as they slammed into the magical symbol, but dissipated with little trouble after the devils put some effort into it.

Despite that, sweat adorned their brows. The fight wasn't so one sided.

"Time to stop messing around. We should finish her off before help arrives."

With a wave of their hands, more of those symbols appeared on the ground near the fox. Suddenly, dark chains began to emerge and shot themselves right at the beast, immobilizing it. They wrapped and coiled around its body like snakes; not even its mighty tails were able to shake free from the bonds.

Again, it let out a mighty roar of defiance and began to build up an attack in its mouth. Before the fire could be released on the concentrating devils, the large fox found itself paralyzed in pain. A loud squeal the fox released instead meant that something painful had happened. On closer inspection, Naruto realized the chains had spikes all along their full length.

It wasn't long before a familiar liquid began to pour out of the creature, blood. At the same time, its size was diminishing back down to that of a human. The chains didn't let up, conforming around the new shape and holding the captured specimen steady.

"_What are they doing?"_ Whatever it was, it was cruel.

If they wanted to kill it, they should have done so by now. From the looks of it though, they had something else in mind. Why else would they use chains?

They wanted to capture her.

The fox beast now resembled the woman he remembered from the start of the fight. Her arms were pulled apart and restrained by the chains that dug into her skin. Those beautiful red tails were pulled down to the ground by another set of those metal snakes. It wasn't looking good for the fox woman.

"Ready to give up now?" Asked one of the sleezy troublemakers.

His hand found its way to her chin, caressing it in a reverent fashion. Naruto smiled when the red head summarily bit his finger, but soon lost his stomach when he realized she bit it _off_.

"Agh! You bitch!" He screamed in pain, holding his bloody stump of a finger.

Another one of his friends came up to the defenseless woman and slapped her, hard. It echoed all the way to where Naruto was standing. To her credit, she didn't even flinch from the hit.

"You won't be so proud after spending a couple of weeks in the dungeons, bitch. Before we need you, we'll break you." They seemed pretty confident that they were going to get away with the kidnapping.

To be fair, with that barrier up, it was doubtful anyone with the kind of power to stop them would find out. Naruto had no idea what was going on, but he knew there was nothing he could do to step in. If those really were magical fireballs, he would be dead in one hit.

_'I wish I could do something. This isn't right.'_ So much for all that exercise if he really wasn't able to do anything with it.

Maybe if he could find something to throw at them, he could break their concentration. It could be just long enough for her to get away while he escaped from there. Yes, it would work.

With a tentative step into the park, he tried to make his way into the nearby foliage. Luck wasn't on his side when all four of them turned in his direction. How was that possible? Did they have super hearing or something?

Somehow, he knew that wasn't all that impossible considering what he had encountered that night. For the first time, he was kind of hoping his loving servant would come rescue him.

"Shit." Considering the situation, cursing was the least of his concerns.

"Who the hell are you?" Shouted one of the guys, clearly confused by his presence.

"How did you get past the barrier?" Another one seemed to be thinking on his feet.

Yes, that was a question Naruto wanted to ask too.

"Doesn't matter, he's a witness. No one can know about our movements yet." The guy that lost a finger made it sound like their battle was a subtle affair.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but I think we can come to an understanding with a little bit of dialogue." There wasn't much else he could do, but buy time.

The fox woman wasn't giving up any time soon. While he wasted time talking, she was still fighting against the chains that were holding her down. Now that he got a closer look, Naruto noticed two things about her. One was that those chains seemed to be barely holding on, which meant that she was a lot stronger than he first suspected.

Second, the black dress that covered her body was a lot more erotic than he expected from a mythological creature. Then again, foxes were known for being seductive so maybe it was supposed to be like that.

"This guy must be special if he could get through my barrier undetected. Tael, we should fall back." Would it really be that easy to convince them he was trouble?

"He's alone, right? Then let's take care of him. Capturing a nine tails and killing a High-class devil won't be too bad of a haul." The apparent compliment was appreciated, it still didn't change the fact Naruto had no chance against these guys.

_'Any time you want to show up, Mei. That would be great...'_ There wasn't even a guarantee she followed him, but he had his suspicions for a while now.

Not just today. For a long time, he always felt like someone was watching him, like a guard dog. Sometimes, he wanted to shout out to them, ask who they were. Anything to break free from the cage he was stuck in.

Now that he was in trouble, would they finally come and rescue him?

Before his new enemies could get any closer, the world began to shake. Confused, everyone began to look around for the source of the commotion.

"Tael, something big is on the other side of the barrier! They found us!" Reinforcements for the fox woman?

No, she seemed just as surprised as they were. Was it really Mei?

Another vibration, this time bigger and closer. Naruto turned around and saw cracks beginning to form on that shimmering wall of light. The guy that put up the barrier fell down to his knees from the power being unleashed. To save himself, the barrier was released with a wave of his arm.

There behind a bright red magic symbol, was Mei Gremory. She did not look particularly amused by the situation Naruto got himself into, nor was she rushing to his side. Like a hawk, her eyes went straight for the perpetrators that seemed to cower in her presence.

"T-that magic circle..she's a Gremory!"

"Not good."

Apparently Mei's family had quite a reputation with these punks. Maybe that would be enough to end the conflict. Or maybe not, as the Tael guy didn't seem like he was impressed.

The loss of his finger didn't seem to matter much now that he was caught. It looked like he had bigger problems to deal with. Why wasn't he as concerned as his comrades?

_'Something isn't right here.'_ That guy definitely had something up his sleeve.

"Naruto-sama, you have walked into a particularly delicate situation. Please leave while I handle this." With practice, Mei made that order sound extremely kind.

Clearly, she was concerned for his safety. These guys were no pushovers, that much was for sure.

"What's going on exactly? Who are these guys?" It was obvious they were devils too, but why were they against each other?

Mei sighed, clearly it was a topic she didn't want to bring up.

"It is more complicated than what I can explain quickly. Suffice to say these men are part of a faction of devils that oppose mine, ours." She corrected herself, again including Naruto in the 'devil' category.

If she was trying to make him look like a non-combatant, she was doing a terrible job. It wouldn't be long before they started jumping to conclusions-

"What? This blondie is a Gremory too?" See, there they go.

"Impossible, they all have red hair. He must be part of her peerage." Peerage, what the hell was that?

Before things got any farther out of control, Mei got in front of Naruto. She was intent on keeping him out of harm's way.

"I will handle these men. Please get far away from here." Without any delay, she launched her opening volley.

Not one but three of those magic circles appeared with a wave of Mei's hand, each pointed at the enemy devils. A combination of fire, water, and some sort of muddy earth launched from thin air right at the devils. Was that kind of combination possible? He had only seen them use fire so far.

"Shit!" The three devils abandoned their positions near the fox woman and retreated to the skies.

They were narrowly able to dodge those elemental attacks, but at the cost of losing their captive. The chains seemed to react to their proximity, and without them to fuel their power, the chains were ripped to shreds. Free, the woman had a chance to run but didn't. Instead, she was enveloped in a faint green light as her wounds began to sizzle and close.

_'A healing move. I didn't know foxes could do that. She still looks weak though.'_ There were too many wounds for her to take care of and she didn't have the energy left.

It looked like Mei was on her own, not that that seemed to be a problem. She took to the skies with her own pair of wings and began to lay waste to the group of devils who were her sworn enemies. Maybe it was his eyes playing tricks, but Naruto seemed to pick up on some malice behind those emerald eyes as she fought.

It was a personal engagement between those four.

They might have been caught off guard by Mei's initial assault, but the three men rallied and began a counterattack. It now looked like a much more balanced contest as their fireballs and lightning clashed with her combination of the three elements.

"Human, come here." Naruto was roused from his observation of the fight by the human fox.

She beckoned for him to approach, though her eyes made it clear she wasn't happy about it. That healing he observed had stopped halfway from completely healing her, so it looked like she was still exhausted. Was she going to ask for his help? He didn't know where to start.

"What..do you need?" He tried looking her over, but she waved his concerns off.

"Get down here!" With a gloved hand, she took his collar and brought him to his knees.

Instinctively, he grabbed onto her wrist to try and make her let go. His eyes widened when he realized the simple grip she had on him was solid as stone. It didn't even look like she was batting an eyelash at the kind of strength she was using, but he would have been choked to death if that hand was on his neck.

Too tired to even stand, Kyuubi released her hand from the glove and tried touching his chest.

Naruto could feel a slight tingling feeling from the center of his chest, where she was touching. When he looked, there was a faint light beneath his clothing that made his eyes bulge. What the hell was she doing to him?

"Wha-what the-" He was unable to lift a finger as she ripped the front of his shirt open to reveal his bare chest.

"Cut it out. What the hell are you doing.." The resistance in his voice faded as the red head was enveloped in a bright light like his chest.

Suddenly, he felt a great amount of power and warmth surge into his chest. It was so much sensory feedback, he glued his eyes shut and felt his head twist back.

"Ah!" There wasn't any pain, but it was enough of a shock for him to exhale all the air in his lungs.

When he felt normal again a moment later, he opened his eyes to see that she was gone. No trace of her, except for the blood she shed while those chains bit into her skin. Where did she-

"**Hm, it's a bit stuffy in here."**

_'What the-, who the hell are you?'_ Another voice in his head. Truly, he had gone insane.

"**Ah, human. I'll be using your life energy to restore myself. Keep quiet and I might leave enough for you to live." **That explanation, however calm it was, did not sound good at all.

_'Life force? That doesn't sound good at all! Don't take that from me!' _His life was just starting to get interesting too!

Now is not the time to die thanks to some crazy disappearing fox woman.

"Naruto-sama!" Mei's voice, she sounded distressed.

He turned to see a fireball headed straight for him. Why was he the target now?! His legs tried to carry him away, but the resulting blast sent him off the ground and into the fountain.

At least it was a somewhat soft landing. Naruto resurfaced and tried to get a bearing on what was going on.

"The fox possessed him. Looks like we'll have to scare her out." The devils descended, more fireballs floating around their hands.

"**Hmph. As if he was worth possessing." **It seemed that despite being in his body, she was still fully aware of the world around them.

That also meant she knew the kind of danger her new host was in.

_'Hey, could you help me get out of here? Things aren't looking good.'_ A sound retreat was always an option, but the fox didn't seem to acknowledge his cowardly terms.

Mei brought herself down from the sky with the kind of grace he had come to expect from her. Again, she stood in front of him as a shield. It didn't look like his presence was making the fight easy for her.

"Mei, you don't have to worry about me. Take care of yourself." He wasn't the type to weigh down others.

The last thing he wanted was to get her killed.

"That is not possible." Her immediate response surprised him. "My life is forfeit if I cannot protect Naruto-sama. It was Kushina-sama's dying wish, after all."

_'Kushina-sama?'_ Who was that? What did they have to do with him.

Inside, he heard the womanly voice seize up after hearing that name. Did the nine tails know who that was?

"Time we finish this. Did you bring the snakes?" The one called Tael took the lead as they fanned out to surround the fountain.

It wasn't going to be easy beating these guys, even for Mei. One of them loosened the sleeves of his jacket to reveal a few black creatures slithering underneath. They seemed to leap through the air and latched onto each member of the group, entering through their mouths.

"What the hell?" Naruto was disgusted by the act.

Were they trying to kill themselves or something? Mythological or not, even devils weren't immune to poison right?

He couldn't see it, but Mei's expression soured. She knew exactly what those things were from some past experience, and it wasn't good.

"My apologies, Naruto-sama." Her wings flexed themselves and in a moment, she was floating above the fountain with him in her arms.

"Mei, what the hell?" It seemed to take little effort for her to lift him like that.

Whatever those guys did, it was enough for her to finally try and get away from the battle. They flew over to a nearby rooftop where Mei deposited him.

"Please stay here. There will surely be a mess to clean up after this is over." That worried him more than she knew.

Without powers though, there was nothing he could do but watch. In the skies above the park, the demons met each other in combat again. Elements clashed, but it seemed those fireballs were no longer second rate; they were overtaking even the water and ice Mei was using to exterminate them a few minutes ago. What did those snakes do?

"**Strange. You did say you were a human, right?"**

Kyuubi's voice echoed inside of him. What the hell did she mean? Of course he was human.

_'I never said that because it should have been assumed from the start. Of course I am.'_ When she failed to argue against him, it made him want to know what she found to make her question that fact.

Was he really one of those devils? If so, where the hell were his fireballs and wings? If he had those, he could help Mei.

"No!" Naruto saw Mei get hit by one of their attacks and almost fell off the edge of the roof.

With a harsh crack, she landed on the ground. A small, smoking crater was leftover from the vicious attack. The worst part was Naruto couldn't tell whether Mei was alive or not. The devils overhead were still circling, but it didn't look like they felt particularly threatened.

One of them locked eyes with Naruto and began to power up another fireball. It was bigger than any of the ones he had seen before. That wasn't good; he barely dodged the other one with a running start.

Trapped on a roof, he had nowhere to go. The fox was silent, perhaps she had accepted her fate more readily than he did.

Naruto squinted his eyes shut and tried to focus on something, anything. A plan of some sort to save him. No, there was no kind of plan that could get him out of there. A miracle? No, those didn't exist.

All that was left was Mei's words echoing in his head.

_'You are a devil of the Gremory household.'_

Was it true? If it was, he wanted those devil powers right about now. Envision those wings on your back, fireballs leaping from your hands. That's how it works in the cartoons, right?

A bright light and wave of heat in front of him meant the attack was almost upon him. No time, have to will it into existence.

_'I want those wings! Come on!'_ A gust of wind sent him flying.

Those bright blue eyes swung open when he realized he wasn't dead. When he looked around, he saw all the night lights far below his sneakers. On his back, a pair of black wings had formed just like his imagination envisioned.

So, it really did work! If this was a dream and he really was dead, it would be a cruel joke to find out. But for now, he would get revenge on those assholes.

"**I knew it. This stench couldn't be anything but a devil." **Now that she realized he wasn't a human, her voice seemed to get even less appealing.

Well, considering the fact that a bunch of devils had just ruined her night, he couldn't blame her.

"That bastard. Looks like he finally chose to wake up his powers."

"Let's finish him off."

They converged on him like vultures, encircling him with nowhere to run. Being able to fly was great until you realized you didn't have anything to fight with.

He swooped down closer to the ground in order to avoid their attacks. If he could imagine wings, he could imagine fire too!

"Come on, come on." He pleaded, willing the fire to spread to his hands.

A spark appeared, but nothing more. There must have been a missing component to his imagination equation. What else did he need? The magical circle?

If he was from the Gremory house, then he must have had the same circle that Mei had. What did it look like again? It shouldn't have been hard to forget considering how bright the red design was in the night.

There, like that! The circle expanded in front of him and launched a wave of fire forward. Naruto's feeling of elation sunk as they easily dodged the attack, but they were taken aback.

"How did he pull off an attack of that size? He's just a whelp!" Said one, envious.

"Doesn't matter, keep up the attack." They launched another round of magic that forced Naruto to run.

Fireballs hit around him, but somehow he escaped unscathed. Regardless, at the rate the battle was going he wasn't going to last long. He needed to regain the advantage.

_'Hey, mind helping me? Otherwise, we both die!'_ There wasn't room for any fancy negotiation.

It was life or death they were dealing with.

"**I have no love for devils, but you have a point. Attack them again."**

With gusto, he prepared another fireball. That time, he felt some of that warmth in his chest leave and join with the ball of energy. Instead of the common red, it was now the fox's white fire. Fox fire! She gave him that ability with her power!

"Take this you bastards!" Naruto threw the ball at them.

It was faster than the last attack, and bigger. They struggled to try and dodge, but one got clipped with how close he was to the flames. Naruto watched in horror as his body was engulfed in the white flames and he was destroyed. He left the world in terrible pain, inflicted by the blonde.

It was harsh, but when Naruto thought about what they did to the fox woman and Mei, he didn't feel so bad. With that resolve, he turned to face the last two and conjured another magic attack. He was starting to feel exhausted from the kind of attacks he was using, but he felt like he could fire one more at least.

"**Idiot. You are using too much power!"** She was right, but he just got those powers.

How was he supposed to know any better? Besides, if he didn't keep up that level of attack, they would move in for the kill.

"Tael, come on. Let's get out of here!" The last one decided to turn tail to avoid Naruto's attack, but was intercepted by his own leader.

A spear of fire engulfed his stomach and shot outward to envelope his entire body. His former friend was merciless as he extinguished his life without batting an eyelash.

"No one runs from me." That wasn't a good omen.

"Try this!" Naruto threw the ball of energy at Tael but was shocked when the attack was deflected with a single swipe of his arm.

"I'm getting serious now." As if on cue, Naruto's wings were starting to give out on him.

He dropped back to the ground with Tael following him down. It seemed like he was willing to be patient if it meant he got to slice Naruto up.

"Let's do this!" Dark energy seeped out of his body. It wasn't anything like what Naruto was expecting.

A strong presence appeared to their side and Naruto looked to see a familiar magic circle. What was this heaviness? It felt like gravity was smashing down on him.

"Sorry, but if you keep messing with my kouhai, I'll have to kick yer ass. Ready, chump?" A being of immense power emerged from the red light.

They were covered head to toe in splendid crimson armor with beautiful green jewels. What was this thing?

"I-impossible! You shouldn't be here!"

The boosters on the suit of armor lit up as the newcomer charged the enemy head-on. A powerful voice echoed as the green jewels began to light up.

[Boost! Boost! Boost!] Constant droning, there was no stopping that guy!

In a single punch, Tael was wiped from the face of the earth. There was nothing left to see when the hulking form turned to look at Naruto.

"Yo. Glad I made it in time, but it looked like you handled yourself pretty well." Naruto's brain took that time to try and catch up with the situation.

That was when he remembered. Mei!

"Hey, you need to help her!" He shouted at the other guy, pointing at the crater that Mei was still in.

They went over to see how she was doing. The red head hadn't moved since she hit the ground, unconscious. If they didn't do something soon, those wounds of hers would kill her.

"Shit. I knew it was a mistake for Mei to come alone. Without her evil piece, she was a sitting duck." The person inside the armor was thinking, but his voice sounded lacking.

Evil piece? That didn't matter right now, she needed to be saved.

"Can you do anything? There must be something we can do." Surely devils knew how to heal other devils.

"If my wife was.." He caught himself and continued as if it was a common mistake. "-well, if my second wife was here she might be able to do something about it.." The man was going off into a tangent about a polygamy fantasy.

The juggernaut turned to Naruto and pointed at his exposed chest. A faint light still emanated from inside; the fox woman hadn't said anything since the newcomer had arrived.

"She might be able to do something about it though. Come on out, Kurama."

"**How dare you call me by my name, devil!" **The way she called him a devil was like verbal poison. **"I never gave that kind of permission."**

Clearly, the hulking piece of armor didn't seem to recoil or flinch at her hateful tone. In fact, he almost seemed amused at her resistance. A chuckle escaped from his throat and Naruto got an oddly friendly feel from the guy.

He did save his life after all.

"Okay..Kyuubi, come on out. There is something the three of us need to talk about."

"**As if. I'll be using this precious devil of yours as a life force supply to heal myself."**

Again, the stubborn fox refused to go along with the crimson dragon's wishes. That was what Naruto figured the armor looked like, a dragon of some sort.

Wait, did she say that he was her new supply of life force? That sounded..disconcerting.

"We both know it would take years for you to recover with that method. Now come out; I have a better idea to get you back on your feet in a few seconds."

There was a short intermission where she must have tried to figure out another option, but when the light grew stronger, they knew she had lost that bet. Soon, the warmth left his chest and was replaced with the normal 'weight' he was used to.

The red head grabbed her hair and carefully let it fan out down her back. Her face was scrunched in a particularly uncomfortable fashion, but now that Naruto saw her up close, she really was pretty. Those red, slitted eyes were particularly spectacular, if not intimidating.

If he didn't know better, he would say the dragon was checking out her ample cleavage. It was hard not to, considering the tightness of her black battle dress. It seemed fox women lived up to the myth of being attractive, or well endowed at least. The nine fur tails fanned out behind her again from what seemed like nowhere, but their movements felt weaker, the body more frail.

Kyuubi didn't look very well, even without the sour expression.

"**No tricks, devil. I am not in the mood."**

"No tricks. Consider it a proposition." The Gremory boss took her loathing in stride, it seemed like he was used to dealing with an angry woman.

Again, the dragon looked at Naruto. Carefully, he brought up his left arm and a bright light began to glow in the armor's claw. Some sort of chess piece was floating there, if Naruto recognized it correctly. Rather than be the normal black or white, it seemed pearlescent, the color shifting as light hit the piece.

"What is that?" Naruto asked, curious.

Kyuubi seemed interested as well, but her stance made it clear she was ready to pounce. If they weren't careful with their words, they would have another fight on their hands.

"An inheritance gift, from Kushina-sama. Your mother." Those words made Naruto's blood run cold.

His mother? This devil knew his mother?

Kyuubi coughed in response to hearing that name. So, she really did know something about the Gremory family.

"This is..the son of Kushina?!"

The red dragon turned toward the fox, it's green eyes staring into her soul. Without a face to look at, the giant armor was very intimidating.

"Do you intend to seek revenge? I'll kill you right here if you do." There were no more jokes to be said, it seemed.

There was a pause as the fox looked at the still in shock Naruto. After a moment, she shook her head.

"It doesn't seem that he knows anything about what you and I are talking about. It would be a waste." She still had some honor, which was good.

"Good. Now, Naruto, listen up." Blue eyes flicked up as the chess piece was pointed out. "This is called an 'evil piece', it is part of a system that allows devils to have servants that fight and protect them like a family. They are used to resurrect others into half-devils and give them certain powers, depending on the piece. This particular one is a unique piece that is called a 'mutation piece', which allows you to use it on someone that is particularly powerful and would use up too many pieces."

A resurrection? How would that help them save Mei?

"You see, only High-class devils are allowed to wield the traditional sixteen evil pieces. It is their reward for reaching that high rank; it allows them to command lower devils. Despite your family connections, you are only a low-class devil, so you don't have any standard pieces."

That explanation, it sounded familiar. Where did he hear that?

_Have fun figuring it out, low-class kun._

Verana. How did she know something like that? Did that mean she was a devil too?

It was all getting a little too muddled up. What significance did all of that have to the situation?

"So, what does this have to do with saving that woman?" Naruto asked, the first real question he could muster to the intimidating man that declared himself a senpai.

"Glad you asked." His initiative pleased the dragon. "This piece you inherited from Kushina-sama doesn't rely on the same rules as the standard pieces, so in theory even you can use it. It isn't exactly a standard occurrence, so keep it quiet when we head to the Underworld."

The Underworld. That was where Mei was going to bring him back. Home of the devils.

"You will use this piece on Kyuubi here to bring her back as a half-devil. That will recharge her power and let her properly heal Mei."

After hearing the plan, Kyuubi turned to the dragon and glared at both of them with dangerous eyes. The thought of being turned into a devil didn't seem appealing to Naruto, let alone her.

"You think I'll let you turn me into such filth?" Such harsh words, it was almost insulting to be on the receiving end.

Cool as a stone, the dragon anticipated her response.

"These devils that pursued you, do you really think they acted alone? More will come, and with your exile from the Youkai world final, you have nowhere to run."

Exiled? The red head did have a particularly prickly demeanor, but he wondered what she did to go and get herself exiled from her homeland.

Clearly, the fox woman wasn't happy he brought up that caveat. Mostly because she probably hadn't thought up a plan that far yet. She was proud and powerful, but not very good at admitting mistakes or failures.

"If we leave you here and take Mei with us to the Underworld to be healed, you will have no allies and no energy left. You will most likely die when a second party of those terrorists come searching for you."

"So, you think you are doing me a favor?" The surprisingly logical explanation made her jump to that kind of conclusion.

The crimson armor shifted in what seemed to be the equivalent of a shrug.

"I'm only giving you a choice. What you do is up to you, but since this boy basically saved you, it would be nice if you could repay him by saving his servant."

Naruto's servant? That didn't sound right. Just because they were supposedly the same family that didn't make much sense. And didn't all the Gremory have red hair? That was what the other devils said.

His hair was a natural blonde. After all that fire, he brushed his hair to make sure it was all there. His eyes widened when he realized his hair had become flat; how did he not notice? Not only that, but when he went to inspect his long spiked bang, he realized his hair had turned into a crimson color.

"What the hell?" Why did his hair change color?

"Ah, sorry. I heard that you were given a different appearance when you were sent here to keep you disguised from rival families. When you woke up your devil powers, your hair must have changed back."

That was going to take some getting used to. He was so used to having long blonde hair!

"So, Kyuubi? What is it going to be?"

"Hmph. If the whelp wants me to be his slave, the least he can do is make a proper request." Her pride as a nine tailed fox wouldn't allow her to accept such a demeaning position.

"You are exaggerating..but you are right. Naruto needs to ask." The red armor stepped out of the way so they could fully see each other.

"Sorry, I don't know you that well and I'm making this kind of request. With your help, Kyuubi, please help me save Mei-san." The fox still had her arms crossed and didn't look convinced.

"That was pitiful." Her eyes closed and she seemed to come to a silent decision. "You will have to come up with a proper request when the crisis has been averted. Understood?"

"Of course!" Naruto shouted, he just wanted to hurry.

"Don't worry, you guys will be together for all of eternity. Welcome to the family." The red dragon said in a somewhat ominous yet at the same time chipper mood.

It seemed he knew that feeling quite well.

The mutation piece was handed to Naruto who in turn walked over to Kyuubi and presented it to her. Carefully, she took it into her hands and guided it to her chest. The piece nestled its way inside of her with a silent pop, and her body arched with the sudden change. Power flowed through her veins and a pair of wings emerged from her back, contending for space with the tails.

After the short ceremony was complete, she looked herself over and couldn't help but smile.

"Not bad."

"Come on!" Naruto grabbed her wrist and pulled her down into the crater.

"Oi, don't just grab onto me like that! You little.." Despite her anger, it seemed to melt away with Naruto's honesty.

His pleas finally reached Kyuubi as her healing light began to envelop the weakened Mei. The truth was her life wasn't in danger, but Issei knew it would be advantageous for the kid to get his Queen now rather than later. That nine tailed fox that was worth more than 9 pieces, and she was his partner in crime now.

_'Rias, it reminds me of when we were like that.'_ He looked upon them; Naruto knelt with Kyuubi, watching over Mei.

He ignored whatever annoyed quips she was spouting about his character as he waited for the devil beneath them to wake up. After a while he got fed up and shouted back, but not in real anger. Somehow, their dynamic worked well.

When Mei finally got up, it was time to bring him back to the Gremory household.

"Ready, kid?"

The red dragon had filled Mei and Naruto in on the details of what was going to happen. They were headed back to report to the head of the Gremory household. They would also figure out what to do with Naruto, considering his unique situation of being stranded in the human realm for over a decade. It was time he integrated back into devil society.

"Yeah, I am." Standing beside him were his two servants, Mei and Kyuubi.

"Hehe, lighten up everyone." He said as a magical circle enveloped their bodies. "You'll be getting to see my harem shortly! It is a sight that can bring a tear to anyone's eyes!"

_'Harem? Is this guy serious?'_ Naruto wasn't sure whether he should be envious or frightened that his superior was such a womanizer.

Mei and Kyuubi merely sighed. Neither seemed quite amused by his words of 'encouragement'. Mei in particular, because she knew that he was most likely not joking.

000

_Some time later..._

000

"And this is my third wife, Akeno Himejima."

"Ara ara, welcome. I hope my Ise wasn't too bothersome."

"Uh.." Naruto and Kyuubi exchanged uncomfortable glances.

They stood in a large throne room of sorts. Issei had led them there first in order to show his welcoming home group, which consisted of all of his wives.

All sixteen of them, in fact. Some seemed to be shared servants between his first wife, Rias, and others were part of his own peerage. Regardless, all of them seemed to love him from the bottom of their hearts, for some reason or another.

"This is my seventh wife, Ravel Phenex. Isn't she cute!?"

The blonde pigtailed girl bowed in her elaborate pink dress. Her mannerisms fit more like a child, though her body had clearly done some growing to that of a proper young woman.

"Issei, I think they get it." Rias, his first wife, sat on her throne with her face held in her palm from boredom.

Clearly, she had dealt with this lengthy scenario before and was not amused.

"Ah, but Rias, I need to introduce all of my wives. It would be rude not to!"

Naruto gave a pitying glance to the head of the household as she sighed in defeat. There was just no pleasing him; ever since he got the harem and became its king, he couldn't escape the allure of doing all the kingly activities. His favorite seemed to be showing off his harem to others, but it got old quick.

Well, as long as Issei was having fun, that seemed to be what mattered the most.

After that long procedure was over with and Naruto and Kyuubi were in proper agreement over how strange Issei was, Rias brought their attention back to her.

"Naruto-kun, do you know why you have been brought back?" The crimson-haired beauty asked with a smile, she seemed too sweet to be a devil lord.

"To be honest, no. I was hoping someone could give me that answer." Blue eyes turned to look at Mei who bowed low.

"Forgive me, Rias-sama, but I was unable to do so."

"It's fine, Mei. I know your situation, it isn't easy..." That cut off a perfectly interesting branch of conversation.

He wondered what Mei's situation was that made her unable to speak properly to him about his past.

"Naruto Gremory, son of Kushina Gremory-dono and Minato Namikaze-san." Naruto looked at Rias who had just announced his parents' names with awe. So that was who they were.

"Your blonde visage was modeled after your father, who was a human before he joined Kushina-dono's peerage. He was considered very handsome, so I thought you might appreciate it more after you heard that." Even during his exile, the Gremory lord was looking out for him.

Though the situation was awkward, and they were keeping things from him, he couldn't help but appreciate those little acts of kindness. Despite his weirdness, Issei Gremory was a good person too.

"There is much I can and can't tell you about your parents. Some events they were involved in the last war are still..sensitive to the high-class devils, so it would be better if you are introduced to it over time. However, I can say that they loved you very much." That seemed like such a stereotypical thing to say, but it did make Naruto's chest feel lighter.

Had he always wondered if that were true? Hearing it confirmed made him feel a lot better.

"I've brought you back for a short stay here in the Underworld, so that you can be reintroduced to devil culture properly. Once you are ready, we have a mission prepared for you to handle back in the human realm, where you are more comfortable."

"Mission?" Was he supposed to be a spy or something?

"Ah, my apologies. I seem to be getting ahead of myself." Rias chuckled and Issei moved to join her behind the throne.

"Yeah Rias. You need to give me time to have my precious kouhai under my wing and teach him the true meaning of having a harem!"

A small girl that Naruto somehow remembered being identified as his fifth wife, known as Koneko, came over and flicked her finger against Issei's exposed abdomen.

Without the armor he wore in battle, the robed young man was sent flying back.

"Pervert." She turned to look at Naruto and hiked a thumb over her shoulder. "By harem, Issei means your peerage. Don't use his vocabulary, please."

"Thank you, Koneko." Rias patted her rook on the head for a job well done.

In the back, Akeno leaned over and checked on her loving husband who seemed to be out cold. Despite him being in obvious pain, she had a very happy smile on her face. Did she like seeing her husband in pain?

"Fufufu, Issei, you went and said something ecchi again in front of Koneko. Let me take you back to the bedroom."

With that same unnerving smile, she dragged him by the arm out of the room. Along that cold stone floor. With the rest of his wives in tow, Issei Gremory retired to his bedroom without a choice.

What kind of family was this? What had his wish for the end of monotony gotten him into?


	2. Black Feathers

The Destiny of a Kindhearted Maou

Chapter 2

Black Feathers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DxD.**

"Speaking"

"_Whisper"_

_'Thinking'_

_Writing/Text_

"**Inner-Speaking"**

I figured we would keep it rolling with a second chapter of my new story. Considering it is different than most crossovers, there was a little controversy over the plot, which is understandable, but I don't think it is as bad of a situation as some people think.

To be honest, I am not a fan of bringing the characters of two universes together at all. It feels unnatural in the dialogue, though I know there is nothing inherently wrong when you strip away the details of each person. Despite that, my personal feelings make it difficult for me to consent to writing a romance between characters from different universes, especially when some of those characters are simply more suited for someone else.

The example would be Issei and Rias; I can't imagine them being with anyone else. Same goes for the rest of his wives like Akeno and Asia.

That leaves me with my story; using Naruto-centric characters or a few original characters (like Verana). It appeals to a story that goes after canon, because I have to make an original plot line. To be fair though, it shares many parallels with the current DxD plot, and you will see Naruto run into many trials that feel similar to what Rias and issei had to deal with because some things in their world never change.

The mutation piece made Kyuubi Naruto's Queen. I know it wasn't explicitly stated she was chosen for the Queen piece, so I thought I would make a reminder.

Hopefully you enjoy the second chapter.

000

_Underworld_

_Gremory Household_

000

In the labyrinth that was the Gremory household, Naruto was on his way to the throne room. He had been summoned there by Rias, along with Kyuubi. It was finally time for him to return to the human world, his home.

As polite and welcoming as the servants in the castle were to him, being there made him feel uncomfortable. It was all too fantastic, too surreal for him. The culture shock was palpable, made worse by the fact that devils looked so similar to humans. Seeing a person do incredible things like fly or do magic was difficult to comprehend, even after receiving a logical explanation.

So getting to go back to the world that he understood as normal, even if he could never go back to being average, was ok with him. And though it might not have felt like it, he was enjoying himself. It was an adventure learning about the world from a different perspective, and he had met a lot of interesting people.

The brother of Rias, Sirzechs Lucifer, had come to visit his sister and check on Naruto's progress during his rehabilitation. After hearing that he was one of the four overlords of devil society, it came as a surprise he would be interested in someone like Naruto. It still felt like he should have been a nobody.

Rather, it felt like that because no one would really tell him about his parents. Who they were, what they did. Not even Kyuubi, who had no love for devil rules, was willing to tell him what had happened in his hazy past.

"Boy, pay attention!" A soft grip was holding him by the waist.

When he looked around, he saw an irate Kyuubi with arms crossed behind him. One of her tails had wrapped itself around him, and he was inches from one of the large columns that decorated the castle. He had been so lost in thought that he had almost run straight into it.

"Sorry. Thanks, Kyuubi." Naruto still didn't really understand what kind of person his 'Queen' was, or what being his Queen meant for her.

"Don't get used to it. If you were harmed before we arrived, they'd blame me." He could have sworn she muttered something about the _damn devils_ after that.

Since she was a Youkai and not a devil, she didn't really understand her role either. Not that she seemed interested in doing much research. To be fair though, she received a lot of teaching those past few weeks they were in the Underworld by Issei's third wife, Akeno, and a nice maid by the name of Grayfia.

Apparently, they were Queens too.

He wasn't sure what they taught her, or if they did any teaching at all. What he knew for sure was that her attitude had barely changed at all. The only difference in how they addressed each other was she called him 'Boy' instead of 'Human', since the latter classification was no longer accurate.

She also gave in and allowed him to call her by her title, Kyuubi, a name she was allowed to carry since she had earned her ninth and final tail. Apparently her real name was Kurama, but she refused to allow anyone to call her that; not even Rias or Sirzechs dared to try. With her power alone, she was formidable enough to garner that much respect in devil culture that allowed her to get away with that. It was impressive.

That should have made him feel lucky she was his Queen, but it only made it worse. How was a weak guy like him supposed to say he deserved that? It would just make him sound arrogant and uncaring about Kyuubi as a person. No matter how hard she was to get along with, the last thing he wanted to do was disrespect her.

"We are almost there. I hope we can leave this place soon." With her anxious behavior, it was clear she was getting tired of having to stay in one place.

"Agreed." Naruto felt the same way.

Something he had learned during his stay in the devil realm was one thing for certain; Rias always had a plan. The first day he began his devil education, she explained to him that she had already prepared a schedule for him and his mentors to follow for the month stay. Not only that, but she knew exactly how to avoid a subject by using her charms of appeasement.

That was why he still knew next to nothing about his family, his mission, or himself. Kyuubi, ironically, was the closest ally he had in that place. Even Mei kept things from him, though in her case it seemed more out of emotional pain than necessity.

Anytime he mentioned his mother around her, the powerful spellcaster seemed to withdraw into herself. He was considerate enough not to ask. From what he understood though, she had a place in his mission as well, so she would have to be there too.

Sure enough, Mei was waiting for them right outside of a large gate. It served as the entrance to the large central chamber most servants referred to as the throne room, where the head of the household carried out their custodial tasks. For a society that had advanced considerably in the industrial and medical fields, the devils were particularly antiquated in their architecture. It was hard to argue against its beauty, though.

"Naruto-sama, welcome." With a bow, the older woman acknowledged his arrival.

A growl behind him meant that Kyuubi didn't appreciate being forgotten. It seemed the two had entered a bit of a spat after Mei discovered Kyuubi's original goal during that fight. After hearing from Issei that she had planned to absorb Naruto's life force, she wasn't particularly happy about it.

Not one to apologize for her own actions, the fox refused to listen to Mei's complaints. That led to the current battle of wills, waged in silence.

"Hello, Mei-san. Is it time?" He wondered if they were early.

"Yes, Rias-sama is waiting." With one hand, she made the doors swing open.

First entered Naruto with Kyuubi and Mei at his sides. That was something they had learned during training was proper protocol and etiquette in devil culture. Though both Mei and Naruto were low-class devils, because of his family's influence and her servitude to him, he was allowed to go first. As Naruto's Queen, Kurama was required to be by his side almost always.

At the far end of the room sat the Gremory head, Rias, on the large throne. It was almost comical how large it was in comparison to her, but she gave such a commanding aura it didn't seem to matter. Something told Naruto that everyone knew she was born to sit in that seat, so her apparent young age did not matter whatsoever. He might not have trusted Rias, but he did respect her for having that kind of relationship with her servants.

"Naruto-kun, welcome back." She greeted as he approached.

There was a short pause as she looked him over, along with his two servants. He had gone through a few different outfits during his stay in the castle, so he could get introduced to the proper attire one was to wear around nobles. Currently, he wore a variant of his school blazer; a dark black jacket that extended just below his hips. It served to match with his dress pants and formal shoes, which meant he could go to school with that outfit.

All the more reason he was ready to return. His hair was still red, but Rias assured him that when he was not using his powers and remained far from powerful beings, his disguise would last. For his own sake, he hoped that were true. That blonde hair was something he could treasure for being a link to his father.

"You look like you are ready to return home. Is that true?" Though the question seemed to lend itself to being a chance to insult his host, Rias showed little sign of being hurt.

In fact, she was still smiling since the first time they met. Was she really that glad he was allowed to return? That charm of hers only seemed to grow the more time he spent around the Gremory head.

"Yes, Rias-sama. I am more comfortable in the human world than I am here." It was the truth, and so he couldn't lie to her.

"I understand. This transition has been harsh on you, I'm sure." With a nod, she seemed to acknowledge his troubles.

"Time was not a factor that was on our side, unfortunately. Because of that we had to rush your training. I apologize, Naruto-sama." Mei was more willing to acknowledge their faults.

Since she and the others had been so accommodating to his problems and concerns, he only felt it right to return the favor when Issei offered to explain the difficult situation plaguing the devil world. Though the red dragon wasn't present, Naruto understood there were many problems that the Gremory and other houses were dealing with. The faction they were aligned against were a great threat to stability, and so most of the devils' strength was being poured into trying to apprehend them.

That meant their influence in other worlds, most importantly the human world, had waned since the start of the conflict. Devil numbers were at another low point, and so dangerous was it that the creator of the Evil Pieces, the great Ajuka Beezlebub made a few changes to the system in order to combat that problem.

One such change was the allowance for the 'temporary assignment' of pieces to certain devils that were lower ranked than the High-class. This situation allowed some Mid and a few Low-class devils permission to use evil pieces for a small period of time, gather followers to bolster devil numbers, and then be judged at the end of their conscription date on whether or not they were capable enough to continue leading their peerage.

That had led to an increase in High-class devil numbers as the younger members of devil society could prove themselves in a faster, more productive fashion than contracts or Rating Games. It also meant that, even if the devil was rejected for promotion, their peerage could still be integrated into devil society as a population boost. A win-win, for the most part.

Naruto would apparently be involved in that system, but more than that, he was to receive a personal request from the Three Factions alliance leadership. Apparently, there was a place in the human realm that was important to all of them, so much that they wanted a guardian to take over its stewardship. Somehow, he had been selected for that task.

"Regardless, you have an important task ahead. We must proceed and hope that you are strong enough to meet the challenge." She seemed to have a lot of faith in his ability.

Or perhaps she trusted his companions more?

"Before we begin, I'd like to ask you something." When she said that, Naruto wondered what it could be. "What is your greatest desire?"

His greatest desire? Where did that come from? Naruto struggled to come up with an answer. During his education, he was told many times devil society revolves around desire. Apparently it was very important to them to have something they wanted, whether it be selfish or selfless.

After a long while, he was ready to answer. They were all patiently waiting for his answer, except perhaps for Kyuubi. When he thought about all the times he had wished for something, he knew that _that_ was what he wanted.

"A family that I can be a part of, and the power to protect it. That is what I want." Rias' smile grew even larger after hearing that.

"Simple, well spoken." Her next line was enough to dumbfound him. "Would you follow me, Rias Gremory, as your leader?"

Wasn't that what he was already doing? It wasn't like he had a choice; if he was a Gremory, then that was just what he had to do. Everything he had been taught up until that point said that. Was she really asking for his opinion?

"Can the Gremory be your family?" She reformed the question, more direct that time.

Kyuubi watched him carefully. Considering the circumstances, she was very interested in his answer. From being able to go from a weak human to a privileged devil, he must have been pretty thankful. That was why she raised her eyebrow at his fists suddenly tightening.

"I can't see the Gremory as my family." Naruto looked her right in the eyes as he said that, though every bone in his body shook with anxiety. "No matter how nice you were to me these past few weeks, I can't trust you."

The Gremory head's smile did falter a bit as she closed her eyes to think. It seemed that was something they were expecting, but his honesty might have been more than what they bargained for.

Kurama smiled, seeing the pained look on both Mei and Rias's faces was entertaining. That boy earned a point for being honest around her. Not even a weak apology after the fact, he was improving.

"I understand. It is only fair for you to feel that way, given your exile. Not only that, but I feel regret that I am unable to speak to you about your parents. My apologies." Those were the main reasons why Naruto couldn't believe much of what they said, but he knew Rias was being honest about her feelings.

Whatever was keeping them from talking about Kushina and Minato had to have been important. Not even the head of the Gremory was willing to breach the seals keeping it hidden.

"Despite that, I still must request your aid for this important task. The importance of Kuoh and the town surrounding it to the Three Factions is so large that we need a dedicated guardian to watch over it. Not long ago, it was my duty, but I have since had to relinquish it in favor of taking over as head of the Gremory household." Both jobs must have involved a lot of work, but Rias seemed to miss her old duty.

It seemed difficult for her to have to pass it on like that. Especially since she still didn't know Naruto all that well; she was practically giving up all that work.

"There are some factions such as Bael and Uvall that have sent their children to the academy, but it is the Gremory's sole honor that the Three Factions have allowed us to return. Please, do not squander it." The Bael, so Verana was someone important after all.

Now that he was a devil again too, did that mean their relationship would change? Was she going to help him? It could very well be the opposite, knowing her.

"Will you accept this task? I know it is careless for me to make such a request given your current state, but we do not have many alternatives." Something Naruto hated was having a life on tracks that he did not control.

The more he listened to Rias, the more he felt like those tracks were being laid without his consent. He wouldn't be surprised if it was all said and done, even without him agreeing to it. That was what it meant to be Low-class; he had to accept whatever came his way just to advance.

"What good will saying no do me? I can't refuse you." Again, his frustration got the better of him and he said something harsh like that.

"Naruto-sama, please-" Mei tried to talk to him, but Rias stopped her.

"It's fine, Mei. He is right, after all." Their eyes met, and her smile unnerved him. "Though it has been some time, I am still a devil that can grant desires. Shall I grant yours? Consider it a gift of goodwill."

What did she mean by that? She got up from the throne and walked over to Naruto where she stood, right in front of him. Energy began to pool in her hands as the temporary pieces came into existence. With an invisible push, she sent them into Naruto's careful embrace.

The King piece drifted into his chest while the rest faded from existence. They would be stored with him, so that he could be ready to add to his peerage at any time. With the power of the King piece, he could now promote his future Pawns and use certain tactics with his pieces that only Kings could do.

"That is the start of your family. A King is not complete without his Queen." From him, she gestured to Kyuubi who stood at his side watching the entire ceremony with little interest. "But you must always be wary for a unique person to join your family." Another gesture, that time to Mei.

"I originally planned to bring her into my own peerage after your mother died, but she requested to remain a free agent for a short while. Since she was in mourning, I allowed it." Naruto turned to look behind him, shocked.

Mei was once his mother's? That explained why she was so concerned for him, how she knew so much about his mother. It also explained why it hurt to talk about Kushina when she was around. They must have been close.

"Unfortunately, your Queen place has been taken by Kyuubi." The Youkai in question seemed to increase in size at her mention. "So, Mei will be unable to reclaim her position as Queen. That is, if you would have accepted her."

With a gentle smile, Mei acknowledged their gazes.

"It is okay Rias-sama. I no longer wish to be a Queen. After I failed Kushina, I learned that it was better I follow rather than lead. If Naruto-sama will accept me as part of his peerage, I will be honored to take whatever piece he gives me." She had destroyed her own image so easily and without a care.

Why was Mei being so humble? Whatever she felt she did to deserve that kind of punishment must have been a terrible situation.

"Try gauging her power, Naruto-kun. As King, you have the ability to be able to tell how many pieces a person is worth."

When he heard that, Naruto looked at Mei and tried to concentrate. As his mind thought of the power that was inside of the red headed devil, the image of his evil pieces began to appear. As they faded in and out, he began to understand the kind of power Mei wielded.

"She's worth at least eight pieces." He said in awe, reverent.

"Though she is best suited for a magical Bishop, her powers are too much even if you were to use both pieces. That leaves you with few options, depending on what you are willing to sacrifice."

Given Naruto's indecision, Mei sought to comfort him.

"Don't concern yourself with me, Naruto-sama. To have to make such a sacrifice of so many pieces for a person like me is unnecessary. Please, save them for-"

"Quit talking down about yourself!" All three women were shocked when Naruto raised his voice like that.

With both hands on her shoulders, he tried to make her see reason.

"I don't care about whatever you did in the past that makes you feel like you aren't good enough. You are a really strong person, Mei. You stuck up for me against those three devils, even after I refused to accept you. That makes you the strongest person I've met so far." It angered Kyuubi a bit after hearing that, but he didn't care.

Mei needed to know that he didn't care what happened in the past. She was more than worth the kind of sacrifice.

After his outburst, she was unable to bring herself to say anything. He continued speaking, that time about her promotion.

"If what I learned was right, then the only kind of sacrifice I can make is between my Rooks and Pawns. As someone with the power of a Queen already, the pawn seems like a perfect spot for you. If I promote you, you can be any piece, right?"

"A good choice." Rias smiled, glad they worked it out on their own.

She was no longer concerned for Mei, now that she would be with Naruto.

All eight of his pawns reappeared and integrated themselves into Mei's chest. He just sacrificed the opportunity of so many other pawns, a larger family, for Mei. Since she knew his desire, it made it even harder for her to accept those pieces.

"All eight? Better be worth it." Kurama said in annoyance.

If she had to be the Queen of that peerage, she wanted strong members. He was sacrificing a lot of slots on one girl, so she hoped it was a good idea.

Naruto turned to the fox woman, glaring.

"She's worth every one of them." With that resolute claim, the matter was ended.

His defense of his new pawn was well noted, by both Mei and Rias. With the brightest smile she had shown since her time with Kushina, Mei was proud to stand at Naruto's side. Kyuubi had to begrudgingly accept that fact that she had a rival for the place of Queen.

"With that, I'll explain to you what it will take for me to complete your desire." They turned to see Rias had returned to her throne.

"In three months time, there will be an assembly of the Three Factions in Kuoh academy. You have that long to act as custodian over the land and prove yourself a capable King. If you do well, I assure you that you will be allowed a permanent seat as a High-class devil in the Gremory family, and Sirzechs Lucifer-sama has offered to give full disclosure on the history of your parents. By that point, you should be mature enough to handle it, right?"

It was rhetorical, but Naruto nodded all the same time. The truth was, he wanted to know the truth now. But it was time he put some faith on the Gremory family and accept that maybe the situation was more complex than he thought. Issei told him the last conflict involved many betrayals and harsh rivalries that could make current life difficult if someone were to bring up the past carelessly.

Besides, he had a lot more important things to worry about.

"So, what exactly do I have to do?" The mission objective was clear, but he wasn't sure how to complete it.

After all, it didn't sound like devils went around acting like police or righting wrongs. There had to be something deeper to their presence in the human world.

"Your first objective is to resurrect the Occult Research Club. It will act as a convenient way for you to move about the school as the president, your peerage its members." As she said that, she motioned to Naruto and his pieces. "As for your duties; ensure that the peace is kept between the Three Factions as well as any other supernatural occurrences. If you can, find new humans willing to open contracts with devils to increase your chances of passing the inspection."

So, he was going to be like the police. Well, it looked like they would have a tough time ahead. It was good that he already had two strong companions like Mei and Kyuubi.

"As long as there are strong enemies around, I'll enjoy it." Kurama was eager to exert her dominance over the other groups.

"Please do not cause much trouble for Naruto-sama. I am already concerned that you are his Queen." Mei's quip was enough to shut the other woman up, but it suddenly became more tense.

"What about the other devils you mentioned? I have already met Verana Bael and she didn't seem too keen on cooperating." Rias perked up when she heard who it was.

"Ah, Verana." She said with a bit of exasperation. "My niece, or was it first cousin removed? Regardless, she respects authority so use that to your advantage. Let her know that only the Gremory have the right to control the area around Kuoh and she should be willing to listen."

He wasn't sure if that was going to be enough to convince the brunette, but he would try. What was the worst that could happen?

"Now, it is time for you to go. Good luck, we will be in touch soon." Mei created a magic circle under their feet to shuttle them back to the human world.

As soon as they had dematerialized, Issei stepped out from behind the throne. He had listened to the entire conversation and had a troubled expression.

"Rias, that was really rotten what you did." She turned to her husband and frowned, crossing her arms in defense.

"I did what I must, as the head of the Gremory household." That may have been true, but...

"To offer him Mei as a bargain when you knew she was already going to offer herself? That wasn't right to avoid his wish like that." It was true she used Mei's desire to join Naruto as a way to influence the conversation in her favor.

But if she hadn't have done that, he most likely would have been more resistant to accepting the mission. Considering how important it was for the Gremory to uphold their reputation, not just for their own sake but for her brother Sirzechs, she couldn't afford to lose.

"I had no choice. Besides, he will appreciate it more if he earns his family, rather than receive it. You saw it, didn't you?" Issei had indeed seen the look in Naruto's eyes at the start of the meeting.

"He doesn't like it when someone tells him what to do, and even less when he is given something he didn't ask for."

That was right. If Rias just gave him a position as a High-class devil, not only would the Gremory be in trouble with other nobles, but Naruto might not have appreciated the gravity of the gift. If he earned it through hard work after understanding more devil culture, then he would have been more willing to accept it.

"Will you help him?" There were sure to be hurdles, and Rias was worried about her cousin.

"Like you said, he might not appreciate it. If he asks for me though, I'll be there to back him up." Issei smiled as he saw Rias concerned; she was so loving it was hard to believe. "Not everyday I get a new kouhai, ya know?"

000

_Human Realm_

000

In a moment, Naruto found himself in the middle of his apartment. That teleportation magic was powerful, indeed. It was almost as if no time had passed since he left.

"We have arrived, Naruto-sama." Mei was already familiar with his apartment and went to sit down.

Kyuubi, however, was not. She remained standing in the middle of the room like she was in a minefield. Clearly, she was not comfortable in foreign environments.

"Make yourself at home, Kyuubi. This is my apartment." Naruto tried to make her feel better by inviting her to sit, but she was looking elsewhere.

"What a stuffy place. You can't expect me to live here." That was true, a small one bedroom apartment would not be enough for all three of them.

"No need to worry. Rias-sama was gracious enough to leave a gift for us in the human world." They both looked at Mei, curious by what she meant.

"The home of Issei Gremory. It was abandoned some time after he married Rias-sama. Before that, it had been converted into a base of operations for the Three Factions during the conflict with the Khaos Brigade." A house? That was quite the upgrade, Naruto thought.

And what was the Khaos brigade? He remembered his teachers making mention of it, but apparently it was old news. Some group of opposing devils, it sort of sounded familiar to the current situation.

"Is it big?" Kurama had her priorities, it seemed.

"Quite large, a mansion." Mei's response made the fox woman almost giddy.

"Very well, I will accept living in this world if that is my home." Of course, they had to get there first.

Naruto checked the time and realized it was almost time for school. Now that he thought about it, he hoped someone had a proper excuse of why he had been gone for a month. The piles of homework he would have to deal with almost brought a tear to his eyes.

"Well, I'll have to go to school. We won't be able to move my stuff to the new place." Suddenly, Kurama's spirit plummeted.

"You mean I'll be stuck here?" She didn't seem happy about that fact.

"No need to worry. Naruto-sama, I will pack your things and prepare our new home for when you are finished with school."

Mei was so gracious to take on that job, he was lucky to have her!

"Are you sure you can do it on your own? Kyuubi can stay and help." The idea of the nine tails doing any kind of physical labor probably wouldn't go over well, but she did want to move...

"I'd rather not, but if it means a better bed by the end of the day then I will accept it." Ah, a rare moment of humility.

Truly, a time to be documented.

"Unacceptable." Surprisingly, Mei refused with a harsh tone. "As Naruto-sama's Queen, you must be with him whenever you are able. You must go with him, Kyuubi."

On the one hand, she wouldn't have to do any kind of physical labor if she went with Naruto. However, if she accepted, it meant she would be following an order by her rival. And Kyuubi didn't follow orders, she gave them out.

"Do you dare tell me what to do?" In a display of dominance, Kurama pressed her body against Mei's.

Their voluptuous bosoms slammed into each other with force. A battle of wills was happening in front of his eyes, and Naruto was afraid to break it up.

"Hey, come on you two.." His small attempt had no effect and the duel continued.

Mei and Kyuubi were roughly the same height, so it was impossible for the fox to stare down on her. Whereas Kyuubi had the advantage of a larger chest size, Mei had possibly the most frightening image on her face after Kyuubi called her an 'Old Queen', which was taken out of context. That demonic look was enough to even give the nine tails slight pause.

"Enough!" Naruto stepped between the two of them, his hands on their chests to push them away.

"Kyuubi, Mei has more experience than both of us when it comes to how this stuff works. I need you, because I'm not strong enough to defend myself yet. Please, watch over me."

It didn't make him feel any better to admit to his weakness, but it was true. That month had been spent working on his devil culture, not his powers. To be honest, there was doubt as to whether he had any kind of ability or talent. Rias confirmed his ability to use fire had nothing to do with her own Power of Destruction, and that Kushina did not wield it either.

On the other hand, Naruto's father was a magician that was well known for his fire magic. Perhaps that was where his power came from. Nevertheless, his ability to use the magic was nowhere near the level of a competent devil. He needed to practice, but had not had the time to do so.

"Hmph. Very well, but I refuse to deal with petty humans directly." Kyuubi slowly backed away from Mei, not dropping her glare.

When he still didn't realize what she meant by that, Kyuubi suddenly grabbed him by the collar again. Without ripping his shirt, she lost herself in a bright light and entered Naruto's body again.

"**If I have to remain close, then this should do."**

She couldn't get closer to him if she tried.

Mei was thankful the exchange was over and had already begun sorting Naruto's things. She really was the more mature of the group.

"Sorry to leave you with this Mei. I'll see you after school." He started to head for the door.

"Take care, Naruto-sama."

000

At school, Naruto realized he was getting a few more stares than usual. When he thought it was because of his hair, he went to the bathroom to check a mirror and realized it had returned to blonde.

"**Now that your devil powers are suppressed, your hair has returned to the disguise." **Kyuubi explained.

So, that meant the other kids had noticed him being gone for a month? Or was there something else going on?

Fuka had noticed too and stopped by his desk during a break period. He looked up into her eyes and saw what felt like genuine concern, but he could never be sure with adults.

"Naruto-kun, I received a letter that said you would be gone for a month. I was concerned. Is your health okay?" He couldn't help but scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

A few male students glared at him for getting the attention of their precious sensei. She was attractive, after all. Not only that, but she was intimately sitting on his desk. Those panty hosed thighs were so close to him; that soft, defined rear inches from his face!

Now that he was starting to see his sensei up close, he realized how seductive she really was.

"I-I'm fine, sensei. Some relatives took me abroad for a while, that's all." Her mouth made an 'o' as she became interested in his trip.

"Oh, that sounds interesting. Where did you go? Rome? Paris?" Of course, Fuka-sensei would list off the romantic capitals first.

"Trust me sensei, it wasn't that glamorous." The Underworld was beautiful in a certain way, but he preferred the blue sky and yellow sun of the human world.

"Well, be sure to see me after class about your question. I haven't forgotten." She gave him a wink and patted his shoulder before heading back to her desk.

That was right. Naruto had asked if he could make a request of Fuka-sensei after class that day. Since he knew her the most out of all the faculty, he was going to ask her to be the Occult Research Club's sponsor.

To become an official club, he required a sponsor that served as a member of faculty as well as at least three other members. After that, he would have to take it to the student council for their approval. He had no doubt that wouldn't be as easy as it sounded. Verana was probably a competing devil, almost definitely since she was related to Rias.

He wasn't going to give up though. If Naruto wanted to keep breaking free from his cage, he had only one path to walk on, and that was it. Those next three months were his time to assume the role of a devil, and do it so well they would have no choice but to give him all the answers. With the help of Mei and Kyuubi, maybe he could stop himself from being indecisive, and be less of a loner.

"**That one...she stinks like a crow." **Kyuubi growled, her protective instincts at it again.

_'A crow, what does that even mean?'_ Fuka sensei was a good person, she was just being paranoid.

What the hell kind of comparison was a human and a crow anyway?

000

Unfortunately, luck was not on Naruto's side when he went looking for Fuka at the end of the day. It seemed she had left early, before he had arrived. She had left a note and said that he had received an important invitation she couldn't miss, but that they would talk tomorrow.

Since he knew his question wouldn't take very long, Naruto decided to try and find Fuka-sensei. It might have been considered rude if he interrupted her at whatever event she was attending, but if he could find her beforehand, then it would be much easier.

Mei was waiting for him at the front gates, smiling at the children as they passed by. It was almost like she was his guardian, from the way they looked. When most kids were out of sight, Kyuubi emerged from within Naruto and began to stretch her body.

"Too cramped." How rude.

"How did the moving go, Mei?" He had dropped the honorific during their stay in the castle, but his Pawn was still being too formal.

With a small bow, she informed him of the good news.

"Your things have been moved to our new residence, Naruto-sama. The maids of the Gremory household have taken care of the place much better than I had first expected, so it is ready to be lived in as we speak."

"Good, I wasn't planning on sleeping in that box." Kurama muttered, though she didn't seem to care if her honest feelings were heard or not.

"Was there any luck forming the club?" Naruto informed Mei that his teacher had gone missing and that he would like to go look for her.

"I see, though it might be difficult finding her." She entered a thinking pose to figure out the best way to find Fuka.

"No need to wait around for a useless plan. You forgot that I am one of the Nine Tails, the most powerful Youkai capable of using Senjutsu and Youjutsu." As if it were a pedigree, she belted off those skills with a grin.

Senjutsu and Youjutsu? What was Kyuubi bragging about?

"Ah, that's right. You can track her ki, can't you?" Kyuubi's grin grew wider after receiving such a question.

"Of course. Follow me." Naruto wasn't sure he understood, but Kyuubi seemed confident she knew where Fuka was.

"Let's go." He said, and with that they were off.

000

"Ah, hello Angel-san? Are you in there? Come on out and _play_ with me!"

Outside of a well known church, someone shouted lewd phrases at those within. Like something out of cosplay, they wore what looked to be ebony armor in the shape of a skimpy two piece bikini. Their legs were protected by boots made of a similar armor material with dark feathers incorporated into the design. The arms had something similar that covered everything from the hand to the forearm with the dark plate.

What most telling about their allegiance was the pair of black wings on their back. Each sway of their hips, the wings responded with a cute twitch.

When Naruto and his entourage snuck up to the church's perimeter in the surrounding trees, it was difficult to tell what was going on. He knew that Kyuubi was right though when she said that person was Fuka, and he knew it because of the crimson red hair that fell down the person's back.

No one else could have such a seductive body naturally.

"So, sensei was a Fallen Angel?" A month ago, he wouldn't believe it.

After learning about the kinds of supernatural beings out there though, he was able to accept the reality with just a little surprise. The fallen angels were known for once being a part of heaven's angels, but fell because they pursued their desires.

Similar to devils in the fact that they are driven by wants, they were the smallest of the factions remaining because of how difficult it was for them to reproduce and their inability to incorporate humans into their population. One way they could increase their numbers was to convince Angels to fall and join their side, which was what Fuka seemed to be trying to do.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, whoever was inside the church refused to respond. It didn't seem to deter his beautiful teacher though as she continued to tease them with comforting words and seductive poses.

"How loose is she?" Mei was not so much a prude; she just had standards.

Kyuubi seemed to consider the entire thing a joke and refused to chime in. She would wait until the fighting started, if it did at all.

Naruto realized that his original plan was out the window. If his duty was to keep the peace though, he might have to intervene if there was conflict. He was starting to wonder whether that was such a good idea.

The doors to the church finally opened and a few men in priest robes came out. They were all young and it looked like they were entranced by Fuka's moves. Though they couldn't become Fallen Angels, they could become her servants from what he understood. She seemed to welcome them with open arms, calling out to them.

"Come here, boys. Your new master wants to give you a kiss." That gave them the encouragement to hurry over and outside of the church's protective barrier.

Before they could reach her welcoming grace though, two pairs of beautiful white wings appeared. A man and a woman both floated down from the sky to separate those young men from the fallen angel. With the new arrivals, Fuka seemed somewhat annoyed at the interruption.

"I don't think so, fallen angel." With a holy spear of light, the dark haired angel killed the men before they could reach her. "May they be redeemed in the Lord's eyes."

The other one, a girl with long pink hair, prepared a yellow arrow of light to throw at Fuka. She seemed to hold some contempt for the fallen.

On the other hand, Fuka seemed quite calm given that she was outnumbered. In fact, her smile led them to believe she got what she wanted.

"I've been waiting for you, Angel-san."

Kyuubi seemed to recognize the stance Fuka was taking on. A satisfied growl came from deep within as the fox had something entertaining to watch.

"So it begins."

In a flash, two pink spears of light appeared in Fuka's hands and she charged forward to meet the angels in combat. They readied themselves with their own golden spears; waiting to take her on.

"Sakura, you have this honor." Said the one with black hair, his smile reeked of overconfidence.

"My pleasure, Sasuke-kun." Fuka's wings carried her up to the pink headed girl and their spears slammed into each other.

"What have they been teaching you? How to play with sticks?" His teacher mocked the angel who struggled to hold off her incredible strength.

As if to exemplify her power, Fuka's spear shattered the golden one with a single swing. With no defense, the female angel was defenseless as the finishing blow came.

The one called Sasuke stepped into the fight and blocked her with his light weapon, now reformed into a sword that he held with one hand. There was an exchange of power before Fuka separated from the angels and threw her weapons as projectiles. When the male angel went to block them, the pink spears shattered and exploded into a blinding light.

Fuka's wings stretched out with pride as she watched the smoke clear. Her eyes looked down upon the angels who had fallen near the church's doorstep. Not even the one called Sasuke could block her strike and now they were both vulnerable to attack.

"Ah, Angel-san. Too weak, it looks like." His sensei didn't let up with her taunts. "I hope you enjoyed the pain, because _I _did." Fuka licked her finger in excitement.

Looked like she was a bit of sadist.

Anger seemed to overtake the black haired angel as he stood to face her. Interestingly, his wings began to flicker between black and white as he got more and more furious.

"She is tempting him to fall through such a loss of emotional control." Mei explained with a tad bit of respect for the underhanded method employed.

"You think you can walk over me?!" Sasuke shouted, his hands forming two swords of golden light.

The flickering intensified, now he was falling to selfishness.

"Sasuke-kun, don't!" The one called Sakura called out to him, hand on her heart.

What surprised Naruto was that her wings were beginning to flicker too. Why was that?

"Her emotional control is failing too. It seems she lusts after Sasuke, and if he falls, she would too."

The whole situation was getting out of control. Without warning, Sasuke charged Fuka in the middle of his transformation and began to fight her. Surprised by the sheer emotion behind his attack, the red head was pushed back. With both swords over his head, he brought down a powerful blow to Fuka's spear, shattering it and sending her to the ground.

Before she could recover, Sasuke was almost right on top of her.

"Stop it!" In front of the downed fallen angel, Naruto and his servants appeared.

Using a powerful magical spell, Mei created a defense barrier that Sasuke slammed into. He tried his best to smash through it, but found himself at a loss.

"Permission to promote to Bishop?" Mei requested it so she could boost her magical powers.

"Granted." Naruto said, trusting her judgment.

With the added strength behind her promotion, Mei pushed her barrier out to increase the distance the angels were from each other. That would keep the conflict from erupting again.

Kyuubi kept an eye on Fuka, who was within the barrier and could strike at Mei or Naruto. As it appeared though, Fuka was more interested in what was going on rather than being offended.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. You were a devil after all, what a shame." She seemed sad, almost disappointed over the fact.

"Sensei, I had no idea you were a fallen angel." He wanted to make it clear that it wasn't part of his master plan to interrupt.

"Mmm..I'm glad. You would've known eventually, after I seduced you into joining me." It seemed she had a reason for getting close to her students after all.

"Well, no offense sensei but I think this battle is over. My duty is to keep the peace, so I'm going to have to stop you from fighting."

"Hmph. Fair enough, I suppose. Those kernels of darkness in their hearts will have to wait another day to pop."

Sounded like she was doing more than just having fun. His sensei was a crafty woman. That meant she was there at the church on more than just an impulse, she had a plan in the making.

Fuka got up off the ground and spread her wings, ready to fly. The barrier remained up, even after the angels had retreated.

Naruto wasn't done talking.

"Fuka-sensei, I'd like you to sponsor a club." That got her attention and she smiled at her student.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. You are finally getting active with the school, I'm so proud!"

Somehow, the switch from fallen angel to his teacher was so fast it was uncomfortable. Fuka-sensei, please remember your appearance right now.

"Please host the Occult Research Club for me." He bowed a bit in hopes she would listen to him.

"Ah, the old devil club? Azazel said something about it." Hands on her hips, she seemed to be thinking it over. "So, you really are the new Kuoh guardian? Things won't be as fun now."

Again, she was disappointed she couldn't go on those rampages of hers. Well, considering her power maybe it was safer that way.

"Please, sensei." Naruto knew she was the only one he could approach with it, and considering her position, she was the only one who could understand the club's true importance.

"Fine, fine." She waved her hand dismissively, giggling as she did so. "It will let me keep an eye on my precious devil student, after all. I haven't given up on you yet."

Fuka approached Naruto with a smile, but his Queen stood in her way. With a growl, Kurama got ready for a fight.

"If some pissed off angel could knock you off your feet, I could destroy you with a flick of my finger." After watching the battle, it seemed Kyuubi was disappointed with Fuka's ability.

Not afraid, Fuka got right up to Kurama's face. Confidently, she whispered in her ear a few words of enlightenment.

"_Would you be surprised if I said I lost on purpose?"_ With a blush, Kyuubi realized she had been fooled and backed off.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow, Naruto-kun. Take care." With a path open, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Her red lipstick left a mark as she rose into the sky and left. After the heated exchange, Naruto was dumbfounded and unable to respond.

Mei kept her cool, though she seemed a bit uncomfortable with that last move. A fallen angel had gotten too close to her King.

Kyuubi was more concerned with how arrogant that bitch was to try and talk down to her. With a curled, shaking fist she swore to finish her off next time.

000

"It seems the crisis has been averted, Kaichou." Verana's shadow called from the front, emerging from a nearby bush.

In the forest, a bit farther back from the altercation, was Verana and the rest of the student council. Each one was a member of her peerage, ready to help her in whatever capacity necessary.

When she realized that Naruto intended to go after Fuka, someone she already knew was a fallen angel, she had pursued. Since she assumed because he was a Low-class devil, he would have no peerage, she was surprised to find him with two companions. How odd, she thought.

"Very well then, let's return." Naruto Uzumaki, or should she say 'Gremory'?

His stupidity grew to another level charging into that fight. What was he thinking? Did he not learn anything during his time in the Underworld? There was a process to everything, rules to follow.

If he didn't figure that out, he wouldn't last long as the guardian of Kuoh academy. Which was where she would come in and show how to properly handle the situation. If it was her father's plan, she would not be able to fail.

Verana had pure blood running through her veins. That meant she couldn't afford to fail.


End file.
